One Year Ago Today....

Another trip down memory lane. Thinking back to being in Korea to pick up my son brings back so many emotions...what a blessing that God chose our family for this path...that God would entrust us with such an amazing gift...a precious little boy to call our own. Ben is such a miracle in so many ways and we are so thankful that his birthmother chose life for him. We wouldn't be the family we are today without Ben being a part of it.

One year ago...wow...what a day. It's hard to describe it...words just don't do it justice. This whole trip to Korea was filled with wonderful things; getting to meet our son, being allowed to experience and learn about his birth culture, meeting the wonderful Korean people, learning about this country's history, etc. But all of that pales in comparison to today. What a day it was!

One year ago we woke up early as we had so much to do. We knew that we were meeting with our social worker as well as Ben's fosterparents at 11am...because today...Ben would be placed into our family forever. No more little one hour meetings to get to know him better, no more heavy heart because I would once again have to say good-bye, no more walking around Korea feeling like someone was missing. No more.

We were rushing around our room trying to get as much packed as we could. We were still working on getting all the clothes washed and put away. We knew that once we got home the last thing on our minds would be laundry. We were busy planning...what does one need for a 15 hour flight to the other side of the world with a 4 month old and a 22 month old? What if the plane is hot, what if it's cold, how many diapers do we need for two little bottoms? Do we have enough toys, how about bottles, and what about wipes and a change of clothes? Jason and I were running around crazy trying to finish all of the last minute things so that we could just spend time with our new son once he was placed in our arms.

We witnessed so many miracles straight from the hands of God during this adoption. God was so gracious to us and He hand-delivered a miracle right to us on this very day. Normally the adoption agency in Korea doesn't allow you to have your baby until the very minute you are ready to leave for home. Literally. You get in the van to leave for the airport and that's when they put your baby on your lap. Well, as I said, God had another miracle all lined up for us. We were able to get Ben the day before we left! This allowed us some bonding time before ever having to get on a noisy aircraft. Jason and I were so thankful for this.

Well, 11am came very quickly and we were so excited. All three of us, Ella, Jason, and I walked down to the 2nd floor. We met Ben and his fosterparents for the last time. It was so bittersweet. Bitter...or sad because we would be taking Ben away from his foster parents who love him dearly, sad because we were going to be moving him to the other side of the world away from Korea and all it has to offer, sad because we were taking him from the only family he has ever known. Of course sweet because we were adding this wonderful boy to our family, sweet because God knew how much we needed Ben, and sweet because he was the perfect addition we had prayed for. What an emotional rollercoaster.

I will have to fast-forward here and leave out some details and conversations that took place. There is so much more to this story and as much as I wish I could share ever detail with some of you, it's just not my story to tell. I will save the rest, safe and secure...guarded in the deepest part of my heart to tell my amazing son when he is older.

What I can share is how grateful we were that day to have Ben with us. How much each precious minute held for us! Ella was so sweet and took to him right away. Once we got back to our room after our goodbyes, the only thing Ella wanted to do was hold her knew baby brother. She gently hugged and kissed him. What an amazing gift as a parent to watch...to see a brother/sister bond forming in it's earliest days.

That evening we went out for our last meal in Korea. We went with our dear friends that we met while staying at the agency...Scott and Karne. They were there to pick up their son...who ironically was born only a day before Ben. We are sure that these two little boys were in the nursery together and had met many months before. Another miracle...they live right here in the Twin Cities too! We are forever grateful for the friendship that started on the other side of the world with them. So...Jason, Danyelle, Ella, and Ben met up with friends for a traditional Korean meal of bulgogi. We sat at a traditional table on the floor while enjoying being a family of 4 all while having delightful conversation with our new friends. What an amazing end to an amazing day! I am so thankful to God for allowing me to be Ben's mom. He knew I had a whole in my heart that only little Ben could fill. Adoption is nothing short of a miracle. Ben is a miracle...my miracle!

One Year Ago...

...we were on the other side of the world

...we were getting to meet our son for the second time

...my eyes were filled with tears and my heart with pride upon holding Ben again

I remember this trip and each day of it so vividly. What an amazing journey God took us on and for that matter are still traveling. Let me take you back to one year ago today...

...we awoke early that morning...afterall, we were still on USA time and sleeping wasn't going so well. Ella and I had been up around 3am that morning cooking some eggs for "supper" in the kitchen located on our floor. Trying to adjust our bodies to the new time zone was proving to be challenging. We had just met our son for the first time the day before and what a rush that was. Although it was such a wonderful feeling meeting him and holding him, it was hard to leave him to let him go home with his fostermother. The only thing that really made it easier was knowing that I was going to be able to see him again in less than 24 hours. My nerves were raw with excitement and anticipation and the clock just didn't seem to move at the speed I would have liked.

We all got ready...Ella, Jason, and I. We anxiously made our way down to the second floor to the social worker's offices. Inside was our social worker, a wonderfully sweet woman. She brought us into the room where we would be meeting our sweet Ben. I remember wanting to just hold him...just hold him...just hold him. They came in and put him in my arms. Both Jason and I were so thrilled and Ella was starting to take to her new brother already. I had brought my podaegi with so they could show me how to properly put Ben in and wear him around. Once in, he immediately fell asleep on my back. What a comfortable feeling it was, having my baby boy that close to me, and feeling that safe and secure with me.

Oh what a day...what a morning...what a trip...what a treaure...and oh...what a son!

Pony Rides and Petting Zoo

Our city has a big festival every year. The kids and I decided to go and check it out. We even brought Aunt Jackie with us. She was a huge help...two kids around pony rides and a petting zoo is fun, but you can't take your eyes off of them for a second. After much deliberation, Ella decided that she wanted to indeed try the pony ride. Turns out she loved it. (Grandma, you may have to get horses again!!) In fact, once she was done, she wanted to go again. Turns out, pony rides aren't exactly cheap. Two rides was our max. She enjoyed herself!

Ben had a blast too. If I would have asked, I'm sure he would have loved the chance to ride a pony too. I'm sure the pony is grateful that we didn't put Ben on his back. All the kicking, gleeful screaming, and drool would have been enough to want to buck him off. Instead, Ben enjoyed the petting zoo, wandering around aimlessly, and dancing to the band that was playing.

I have more pics...and once blogger cooperates, I post them.

Uncle Carvie is Sooo Cool!

Uncle Carvie!!

Mom, Ella, and Ben

This summer Mom took us to the Maple Grove parade. We had so much fun. Nana, Auntie Mimi, and Great Grandma and Grandpa Kreyer came too. We got to see so many awesome things like clowns, police cars, horses, and the coolest thing of all...my Uncle Carvie! Yep, he was actually in the parade! He works with the Osseo High School Marching Band! How fun is that?!? I was so excited to see him walk up...but you should have seen Nana!! She was super-duper excited!! He even waved to me and stopped to say hi. I love my Uncle Carvie.

The "Professional" Haircut

Mom said that it was high time I had a "real" haircut...you know, one of those where you go to an actual barber and pay way too much money for something you could have done at home. Well, like I said, Mommy insisted that my hair was too long. I would like to know by who's standards?!? I thought it looked great. What's not to like about a mohawk? What's not to love about hair hanging over your ears? In my opinion, little babies are wearing their hair way too short for my liking. I want to be like my uncle Jamie and uncle Joren...they have long, shaggy hair, why can't I?

So we went to "Kid's Hair"...Mommy thought this was going to be so much fun, at least that's what she kept telling me on the ride over there. Once we arrived, I got shuffled into a mini barber chair just my size. The lady (whom I'm still not so sure of) flung this red plastic sheet over me and snapped it around my neck. I'll tell you something, this was already a little more than I had bagained for. I'll admit that I was a little curious about those shiny scissors she had...I'm betting that I could do a lot of damage with those at home if I could get my hands on a pair of those babies. I was doing fairly well...Mom kept telling me how brave I was being and what a big boy I had grown to be. It was all fine and dandy until that crazy lady brought out this buzzing clipper! I wasn't sure if she even knew how to operate those things! That did it, I had had enough, I wanted down and I wanted out of that place NOW! I lost my marbles, I screamed and cried until they released me. It was horrible, it was yucky, and now I only have a short haircut to show for it. The only good part is that I overheard Mommy say that she would never pay for a haircut for me again. I guess that puts me off the hook for ever having to go back! Guess Mommy's haircuts aren't so bad afterall. Hmmm, note to self...I may have to see what else screaming and crying can get me out of. This could be useful information.

The Zoo Man

Ella, Ben, and I went up to visit my family last week. We braved the long 5 hour drive. It was a little touch-and-go, but we made it. Some screaming, some crying, and some sleeping. While we were up there, we went to see "The Zoo Man". It was sponsored by the local library and we figured the kids would enjoy it.

My Mom and I arrived early to get a good spot. After all, we didn't want to drive all that way, get the kids excited, and then not even be able to see the show. We found out that it was going to be held outside in the parking lot...hmmm....lawn chairs would have been a good idea. It's amazing how fast your butt can fall asleep when you are sitting on pavement. It's even more amazing how fast your legs can start to tingle when you are sitting on payment AND holding a toddler in your lap.

While we were waiting for the show to start, a resident of the small town we were in came by with his little house rabbit. A bunch of the kids went wild and ended up chasing the poor thing under a van. The Zoo Man noticed the rabbit and told the people in charge that Mr. Bunny was indeed going to need to leave the show or his own animals may just have it for lunch. It took a little while for them to coax that rabbit out, but finally he was on his way home.

While we waiting for the last people to sit down and the show to start, Grandma leaned over and asked "Ella...what do you think are in those boxes?" Ella sat and thought long and hard and finally came up with the perfect answer: "giraffes" she said. Hmmm....probably not, sweetheart...the boxes are only about 12 inches high. Good guess though.

The Zoo Man started and out came animal #1...a gecko. Hmmm, small but sort cute. Animal #2...a milk snake. Now we're talking...at least we are getting into something bigger than 4 inches...plus he's colorful. Animal #3...a python. Ok, bigger and better. A girl even got to go up and hold him. She looked like she was a little nervous...that always makes the show more interesting. Animal #4...the best for last...an albino burmese python. Here's the big guns of the show...this thing was huge. He was still a young snake weighing in at around 100 pounds. Once he is full grown, he will be around 300 pounds. Oh, but don't get all amazed just yet because his mom was a 600 pound snake. Now that's impressive. Once the show was over we got to go up and pet the snake. Ella was more than unimpressed...she was a little unsure. She had her hands tucked so far into me that I couldn't have found them if I had wanted to. She was making sure that there was no way on God's green earth that she was going to have to feel that thing. Ben was a little more brave. He touched it with the back of his hand once, but wasn't too willing to try it a second time.

Once back at Grandma's house, Mom asked "Ella...what was your favorite animal at The Zoo Man show?" Ella sat and was deep in thought. Finally she answered "the bunny!" "Hmmm....okay" says Grandma, "what was your SECOND favorite animal at The Zoo Man show?" Ella once again sat deep in thought...she finally answered "giraffes!"

So there you have it. End of discussion. Bunnies and giraffes...who knew!

Annual 4th of July Bash

For those of you who don't know...we host a big family get-together every July 4th with my family. It's a blast and everyone has a great time. We had everyone here this year...and that totals 30 people. There were people sleeping on the floors, beds, couches, and outside in tents. We had 6 different tents set up on the lawn this year.

There were games as well as lots of swimming. The weather was very hot this year...hovering around 95 degrees with lots of humidity. There was usually someone in the pool at any given minute all weekend long. Jason even had a fireworks show that he did over the pool while we roasted smores on the fire on the second night.

On Sunday morning we had our worship service...complete with praise and worship and a devotional. Jamie, Jordan, and Tyler did great with the music and Dad had a nice message for us. By the end of the third day, everyone was wiped out and ready to head for home. To all of our family...we just love spending this time with you. We are so blessed to have all of you be a part of our lives. We love you. We are already looking forward to next year! PS...Better watch out for that rubber chicken!

Here are some pics...enjoy!